Sunday, March 6, 2016

Feb. 15th, 2016 update

[Note: Elder Reed tried to send this to us on the 15th, but it apparently never made it, so we got it on the 22nd, when he re-sent it. :) I'm glad it made it!]Elder Reed has a new companion - Elder Del Aguila, who is from Iquitos, Peru -

He also sent a voice recording. He said they changed how they do transfers (ie, when they have changes in companionships). They used to all meet in one place and switch, but now there are apparently 2 busses that travel from one end of the mission to the other, dropping off and picking up as needed. Elder Reed said it's a long wait compared to how it used to be. He also said that it's very hot down there right now (because it's the peak of summer). He said he will have a tough time when he returns to the cold of the States. :)

Elder Reed shared that the Zone leaders also changed and one of his friends finished his mission. He said also that they were working in a very dusty place, and they had to do a lot of walking through that dust. It was a long way, and they couldn't even really see the sun. He wrote in his journal "today, we ate and breathed dust." After they got home, it was tough to eat food because of the day they had.

Elder Reed shared that his companion met someone who had known his father. The companion's father had died when he was very young, so he never really knew him. Yet, this week, they met someone who did know him, and they were able to share about his father. The companion was so very happy!! What a tender mercy of the Lord!

Elder Reed said that this week they had a lot of people open their doors and let them in to share the message of the Gospel - he was very excited for that. :)

Elder Reed shared that Heavenly Father has given us moral agency, the right to choose what we want to do. We don't get free agency, we don't get to choose the consequences of our choices. Yet, Heavenly Father did have a plan and gave us a choice. We can choose to follow him and do our best to obey the commandments (which will lead to eternal life), or we can choose not to do those things.

Until next week, remember the many blessings that are there - because they are all around if you are willing to see...